- What: NBA Western Conference Playoffs First Round Game 1
- When: April 19, 2025
- Who: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Time: 7:30 p.m. PST
- Where: Crypto.com Arena (Los Angeles, CA)
The Los Angeles Lakers will play the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena this Saturday. The first game of their best-of-seven playoff series will start at 5:30 p.m. PST on ABC.
The regular-season series ended in a 2-2 tie. The Lakers, who finished third in the Western Conference, ended the season strong with a 31-10 home record.
Luka Doncic led the team with an average of 28.2 points per game. They won both home matchups against the Timberwolves this season.
The Timberwolves finished sixth in the conference, winning their last three games and eight of their last nine. Anthony Edwards averages 27.6 points per game.
As the teams head into the series, comparisons are being made between the Lakers and last year’s Mavericks. While the Mavericks had strong lob threats, the Lakers excel in perimeter shooting.
The Timberwolves may target Doncic on switches, but the Lakers have a solid defensive strategy and will likely focus on neutralizing Edwards and challenging Jaden McDaniels.
I believe the Lakers will win the series, but the Timberwolves can leverage their size effectively. The Lakers’ -4.5 spread seems off, and Lebron is notoriously a slow starter in the series.
LeBron is 31-23 in the first game of the playoff series; I’ll take the Timberwolves to pull off the upset and take the early series lead in this one.
Best Bet: Timberwolves money line at +155 odds
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Tony Reyes is a sports betting analyst and reporter for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X @TonyParlay.
